The role of proximity in human-agent trust

This dissertation examines how different forms of proximity—visual, cognitive, and spatial shape human trust and collaboration with embodied agents. As AI systems increasingly operate as social partners in virtual and mixed reality contexts, understanding the mechanisms that foster or erode trust becomes essential for designing effective and reliable human-agent relationships. Building upon theories of social cognition, embodiment, and proxemics, this research proposes that proximity—beyond physical distance—functions as a multidimensional construct that governs how humans perceive, interpret, and calibrate trust toward agents. Across three studies, this dissertation systematically investigates these dimensions. Study 1 explored visual proximity through self–avatar similarity, examining how users’ embodied representations influence perceived alignment and initial trust toward AI partners. Results showed that greater avatar similarity increased perceived identification, social presence, and baseline trust, demonstrating that visual embodiment shapes the psychological foundations of human–agent rapport. Study 2 examined cognitive proximity by manipulating agents’ communication framing and reasoning transparency. Findings indicated that when agents conveyed human-like reasoning styles and goal alignment, participants exhibited higher cognitive resonance, improved interpretability, and more stable trust trajectories. These results extend trust in automation models by highlighting that cognitive congruence rather than competence alone drives sustainable trust. Study 3 investigated spatial proximity in virtual navigation tasks, varying the agent’s distance (personal vs social zone) in a collaborative maze environment. Participants interacting with closer agents demonstrated stronger trust development, faster learning, and more fluid communication, while those with distant agents displayed improved trust calibration—showing reduced overcompliance and greater critical evaluation of AI guidance. Together, these findings reveal that proximity modulates both emotional engagement and analytical control in human-agent interaction. Integrating across studies, this dissertation demonstrates that proximity operates as a fundamental organizing principle in human-agent trust formation. Visual and cognitive proximity foster identification and understanding, while spatial proximity dynamically shapes the affective and behavioral calibration of trust. These multidimensional insights extend Hall’s proxemics theory to intelligent systems, showing that human-agent relationships are governed by social distance cues analogous to human–human interaction. Practically, the findings inform the design of embodied AI and virtual agents by emphasizing that optimal proximity—visual, cognitive, and spatial that supports balanced trust: strong enough to enable cooperation, yet calibrated enough to prevent overreliance.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Information Sciences

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Tang, Liang

Contributors dc:contributor

• Bashir, Masooda
• Bosch, Nigel
• Ball, Christopher
• Morrow , Daniel

• Human Agent Interaction
• Trust
• Human AI Trust
• HCI
• Human centered design

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Liang Tang

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132792

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/132792